Iron, Fire and Ice, Ed West
Iron, Fire and Ice, Ed West
8 Rating(s)
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Iron, Fire and Ice
The Real History that Inspired Game of Thrones

Author: Ed West

Narrator: Rory Barnett

Unabridged: 18 hr 25 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download (DRM Protected)

Published: 04/09/2019


Synopsis

Have you read everything George R.R. Martin has every written? Do you know what in Game of Thrones is based in real history?A young pretender raises an army to take the throne. Learning of his father’s death, the adolescent, dashing and charismatic and descended from the old kings of the North, vows to avenge him. He is supported in this war by his mother, who has spirited away her two younger sons to safety. Against them is the queen, passionate, proud, and strong-willed and with more of the masculine virtues of the time than most men. She too is battling for the inheritance of her young son, not yet fully grown but already a sadist who takes delight in watching executions.Sound familiar? It may read like the plot of Game of Thrones. Yet that was also the story of the bloodiest battle in British history, fought at the culmination of the War of the Roses. George RR Martin’s bestselling novels are rife with allusions, inspirations, and flat-out copies of real-life people, events, and places of medieval and Tudor England and Europe. The Red Wedding? Based on actual events in Scottish history. The poisoning of Joffrey Baratheon? Eerily similar to the death of William the Conqueror’s grandson. The Dothraki? Also known as Huns, Magyars, Turks, and Mongols.Join Ed West, as he explores all of Martin’s influences, from religion to war to powerful women. Discover the real history behind the phenomenon and see for yourself that truth is stranger than fiction.

About Ed West

Ed West is a full-time author. He blogs for the Spectator and has written for the Daily Telegraph, Times, Evening Standard, Daily Express, and Guardian. Ed is a former deputy editor of the Catholic Herald and a popular Twitter personality.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Quinn on December 19, 2019

Great read! Full of historical detail and comparisons to the fictional world of Game Of Thrones. I really enjoyed the many different areas of history discussed, as well as the various time periods. I highly recommend for history lovers and those who want to understand the historical basis for George......more

Goodreads review by Romulus on October 23, 2022

Bardzo ciekawa książka. W zasadzie z grubsza wiedziałem, jakimi postaciami, wydarzeniami historycznymi inspirował się George R.R. Martin pisząc Pieśń Lodu i Ognia. Niemniej niezbyt mnie to ekscytowało i nie czułem potrzeby podążania tropami historycznymi. Dlatego nie dawałem tej książce zbyt wielu s......more

Goodreads review by Sara on August 16, 2019

2 and 1/2 stars. I was really excited to read this book. I love the history George R.R. Martin used to inspire his books. I thought this would be a great way of looking at it. It wasn't. It wasn't a bad book, but it could have been and should have been better. For one, the structure of the book foll......more

Goodreads review by Margo on September 19, 2024

I think the author knows his history. I’m not convinced he knows Game of Thrones all that well, or how to organize a history book of this scale. There were ways this could have been written—chronologically, by region, etc—that would have lent some logic and even help in keeping track of details to r......more

Goodreads review by Mateusz on October 31, 2023

Byłoby spoko jakby autor trzymał się chronologii a nie skakał pomiędzy stuleciami.......more